Groundbreaking Legislation Requires State Licenses For Private Service Providers And Stiffer Penalties For Lawbreakers

NEW YORK – Senator Eric T. Schneiderman (D-Manhattan/Bronx) and Assemblymember Adriano Espaillat (D-Manhattan) announced groundbreaking legislation today to crack down on scammers that provide fraudulent legal and immigration-related services to New Yorkers. To end these deceptive practices, the Schneiderman-Espaillat bill (S.7343) requires private immigration service providers to be licensed, and creates a database of service providers so that would-be customers can quickly verify if the provider they are using is properly registered. The bill also imposes stiffer penalties for lawbreakers.

“Crooked businesses are preying on immigrant communities by promising them the world, stealing millions of dollars and delivering nothing in return. Shamefully, these scam artists have turned the American Dream into an absolute nightmare for too many families across this state. This legislation sends a clear message to the unscrupulous businesses who are profiting off the exploitation of the most vulnerable New Yorkers among us: you will be held accountable,” said Senator Eric Schneiderman, the lead sponsor of the bill.

Across New York, fraudulent service providers are making millions of dollars by ripping off immigrant communities for what they think are rushed or necessary applications for life-altering legal documents: green cards, entrance visas for family members, or the passports to leave and enter the country. In reality, many of these so-called service providers leave immigrant communities with nothing at all, while helping themselves to large fees.

Many of these providers falsely claim that they are attorneys or have close connections with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, oftentimes using titles such as notary-public or “notario” to deceive people into believing that they are legitimate. Victims of these scams not only stand to lose large sums of money, but also are likely to suffer harm to their immigration status.

"I am strongly in support of this Bill, immigrants are one of the most vulnerable groups in our society and it is the responsibility of lawmakers to protect them," said Senator Kevin Parker, a sponsor of the bill.

“This bill will punish unscrupulous scammers who target and exploit immigrants and their families. We cannot allow these organizations to continue to rob immigrants of their hard-earned savings and tear their families apart. Predators - who prey on victims trying to secure a better life in this country, only to see their dreams shattered - will be brought to justice,” said Assemblymember Espaillat, the sponsor of the bill in the Assembly.

“As an organization that sees firsthand the immigration consequences wrought by the shoddy work of unscrupulous immigration service providers, the Schneiderman/Espaillat bill will go a long way to protect the most vulnerable immigrants among us," said Angela Fernandez, Executive Director of Northern Manhattan Coalition For Immigrants’ Rights. “We welcome and celebrate Senator Schneiderman and Assemblyman Espaillat's leadership in tackling this issue head on by introducing this long overdue bill.”

“Fraudulent and unauthorized immigration services pose a major threat to our communities and our economy. Immigrant communities deserve protection from fraud, just like everyone else does. The Schneiderman/Espaillat bill will protect vulnerable communities from being victimized by ruthless, greedy con artists,” said Moisés Pérez, Executive Director of Alianza Dominicana.

The New York Immigration Assistance Services law was enacted in 2004 to protect immigrants from being exploited by establishing new standards and protections to effectively regulate the activities of those who would take advantage of them.

However, recent prosecutions by Attorney General Cuomo have demonstrated that the 2004 reforms were not enough to prevent bad actors from taking advantage of immigrant communities. Aggressive and innovative, the Schneiderman/Espaillat bill will enact a comprehensive registration mechanism so that the State can monitor, investigate and prosecute those who seek to defraud immigrant communities.